Monetizing Mommy & My Online Cred

SMSociety13 Conference #2  Online Communities

Mom by Niklas CC

No one is advocating selling your Mom. Let's that get that clear.  But maybe your Mom's blog.

It is cool when a set of presentations builds on each other.  The Saturday morning Social Media conferences presentations explored blogging.  "Monetizing the Mommy: Community and the Commodification of Motherhood in Blogs" by Andrea Hunter explored the world of motherhood blogs where Moms share their personal lives as wives and mothers.  These are opportunities for self expression as well as community building.  The most popular ones command large audiences

Whister's Mother Blogger Mike Licht CC

and not surprisingly have drawn corporate attention.  Many of the leading blogs have become monetized; i.e. they have ads and sponsored posts.  Andrea described how one mommy blogger is estimated to earn $500,000+/yr in corporate sponsorship.  For many followers this has become problematic as the attraction for these blogs is the authenticity and openness of the bloggers.  Research has found that content changes with corporate sponsorships; less about kids and marriage.  I imagine it is hard to empathize with the struggling Mom pulling down big bucks to be "vulnerable" online.  But as one participant countered, these blogs have built strong communities both on and offline that have had impacts on people's lives. 

Laurence Clinnot-Sinois' paper "Working on My Online Cred: a Study of Quebec Women's Blogging" explored how online and offline relationships are used to "solidify and expand one's social networks."  For example if my blog is associated with a popular blog then I perhaps I will gain more followers.  How do I do that?  Well maybe I include popular blogs in my own blog role.  Or I can post on big name blogs and maybe people will notice me and my blog.  You might also draw attention to offline relationships that would help you be seen as more credible.  This goes both ways, I need to be mindful how my online activities impact my offline life.  Will my spouse's offline life be negatively impacted by my blogging for instance?  Or do my kids want me blogging about them after they start junior high?

Trust. Why do I trust you online? Why do I share your posts, follow your tweets, friend your profile? How do you convince me you are authentic, honest, and sincere? I can't meet you in the market, or chat with you at work. I don't see you drop you kids off at school. Why does someone from Russia keep reading my blog?

Laurence's research explored how bloggers drew on the offline to bolster their online cred. That raises an important point: are the offline and online worlds really distinct worlds anymore? That's the next blog post. :-)